5.Bake
for 30 to 35 minutes – toothpick inserted in center of cake should come out
clean

6.Transfer
cakes to cooling rack. When cool, run a knife along the sides of pan and turn
upside down to release.

To assemble:

1.Place
a layer without graham cracker on plate (graham cracker crust should be up). If
top of cake is too rounded, it can be trimmed. Truthfully – at this point I
couldn’t decide whether to put the graham cracker crust up or down; either way
would work.

2.Spread
layer of somewhat cooled and thickened ganache on top of cake.

I arranged strips of waxed paper under the cake. Once the cake is frosted, these were pulled out -- leaving a clean cake plate underneath.

3.Place
second cake, graham cracker side down on ganache. (Trim if needed before
putting in place.)

4.Frost
side and top.

5.Pile
marshmallow frosting on top of cake, creating patterns and peaks with an
off-set
spatula.

6.Use
a long stemmed lighter, or torch to toast the marshmallow fluff frosting.

7.Garnish
– skewer marshmallows on wooden sticks and toast. Insert, at varying
heights,
onto the top of the cake.

Chocolate Ganache

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder, optional

1.Cook
the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double
boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

3.Bring
to 160° (in order to kill possible salmonella); remove from heat immediately and beat starting
at low speed and working up to high, until stiff peaks form and resembles
marshmallow fluff. (I transferred the mixture to my stand mixer at this point.)

It took 5 to 10 minutes to achieve the 160° temperature. The mixture was then beaten until it reached a marshmallow fluff consistency.

4.Fold
in vanilla and spread onto cake.

Recipe without photos
. . .

Scrumptious S’mores
Cake Makes one 2-layer cake

Graham Cracker Layer

1½ cups graham crackers, ground

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1.Spray
or grease two 9″ cake pans.

2.Mix
graham crackers crumbs with sugar and melted butter. Divide and press into the
bottoms of the two prepared cake pans. Set aside.

5.Bake
for 30 to 35 minutes – toothpick inserted in center of cake should come out
clean

6.Transfer
cakes to cooling rack. When cool, run a knife along the sides of pan and turn
upside down to release.

To assemble:

1.Place
a layer without graham cracker on plate (graham cracker crust should be up). If
top of cake is too rounded, it can be trimmed. Truthfully – at this point I
couldn’t decide whether to put the graham cracker crust up or down; either way
would work.

2.Spread
layer of somewhat cooled and thickened ganache on top of cake.

3.Place
second cake, graham cracker side down on ganache. (Trim if needed before
putting in place.)

4.Frost
side and top.

5.Pile
marshmallow frosting on top of cake, creating patterns and peaks with an
off-set spatula.

6.Use
a long stemmed lighter, or blow torch, to/toast the marshmallow

7.Garnish
– skewer marshmallows on wooden sticks and toast. Insert, at varying heights,
onto the top of the cake.

Chocolate Ganache

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder, optional

1.Cook
the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double
boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

3.Bring
to 160° (in order to kill possible salmonella); remove from heat immediately and beat starting
at low speed and working up to high, until stiff peaks form and resembles
marshmallow fluff. (I transferred the mixture to my stand mixer at this point.)

The Kirby House’s quiche is
all about the filling. Crust plays a secondary role and relies on oil rather
than shortening.

Barry, who used to make quiche on the line
at the restaurant, took over the crust assembly and provided lessons as he did
so – “Make it thin and only go partially up the side. That’s the way Chris
(LaPorte) taught me to do it,” he instructed. He did NOT use all of the crust
dough to make one 8” quiche so I saved it for the next one. (I actually triple
the crust recipe and keep it on hand in the fridge.)

Heartland filling was my choice. Since
then I’ve substituted other types of cheese (pepper-jack for example) and used
roasted red peppers and onions for the veggie component. Of course, the Kirby
House’s Vegetarian Quiche recipe, made with artichokes, is delicious as well
(recipe is in The Kirby House Cookbook).

Reheat any leftover quiche in the
microwave for a quick lunch or breakfast entrée.

Quiche Dough Makes (1) one 8 or 9 -inch quiche
crust

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk

Pinch of salt

1.Mix
above ingredients together in a mixing bowl. (It can be put in the refrigerator
at this point for later use.)

2.Press
into pie pan. (I prefer to pre-bake the crust @ 350° for about 5 to 7 minutes
at this point.)

Heartland Quiche
filling

¼ cup ham, cubed

½ cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped

1 cup shredded
Cheddar cheese

1 recipe Egg Filling (see below)

1.Preheat
oven to 375°.

2.Place
ham and broccoli in crust-lined pie pan. Top with cheese.

3.Pour
filling over filling over top.

4.Bake
at 375°for 45 minutes until golden on top and custard is set.

Egg FillingYield:
filling for (1) one 8 or 9” quiche

1 1/3 cups
half-and-half

3 large eggs

Pinch black pepper (1/8 teaspoon)

Pinch each of dry
mustard & salt

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Thoroughly mix above ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour
over quiche ingredients.

This is the
accompanying script I added to The Kirby House Cookbook concerning this popular
luncheon entrée . . .

QUICHE: An
unsweetened, open-faced custard pie served hot or cold as an appetizer or as an
entree for brunch or lunch. Quiche can be made in a conventional pie
plate or pan or in a special dish called a quiche pan.

A popular luncheon item at The Kirby House, it is served
with a cup of soup or a choice of side orders. Grilled Coconut Walnut Bread is a great accompaniment to this main dish made
fresh daily at The Kirby House. Use the
speedy dough recipe to make 12 crusts for large quantities (The Kirby House
Cookbook contains the large quantity recipe) or try the downsized version for 1
crust.

Mom’s Chocolate Sheet Cake has been turned
into cupcakes! These little mini cakes use the same stove-top recipe for both
cake and frosting that has become a classic pot luck and picnic favorite.

Some recipes refer to it as Texas Sheet
Cake. Being from Kansas, I’d prefer to think of it as Kansas Sheet Cake . . .
or simply as Chocolate Sheet Cake. My mom’s version includes a teaspoon
of cinnamon.

The recipe that follows contains both the
original sheet cake recipe and the adjustments needed to turn it into cupcakes.

Then, add and mix: (I remove the above mixture from the
stove and allow it to slightly cool. To be on the safe side (that is – to avoid
scrambling the eggs) drop a dollop of the cake mixture into the beaten eggs
before pouring egg mixture into the cake batter.

2 slightly beaten
eggs

½ cup buttermilk
(or sour milk)

1 teaspoon baking
soda

1 teaspoon ground
cinnamon

For sheet cake: Pour into a well greased or sprayed 13x9x2”
pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in a 350° preheated oven; rotate pan about half way
through baking. (If using a commercial half pan—allow 15 minutes baking time.) Cool partially and pour icing over top of cake; spread
icing with a spatula to cover surface.

For cupcakes: Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and then
ladle cake batter into tins, filling just about half full – remember that you
need to have enough space for the somewhat runny frosting to settle over the
cake. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in a 350° preheated oven. Use a toothpick to test
center – it should come out clean when cupcake is completely baked.

Fill cupcake liners just about half full of batter.

Notice that there is enough space left in the cupcake liner for a layer of frosting to be added.

Then, add and mix: (I remove the above mixture from the
stove and allow it to slightly cool. To be on the safe side (that is – to avoid
scrambling the eggs) drop a dollop of the cake mixture into the beaten eggs
before pouring egg mixture into the cake batter.

2 slightly beaten
eggs

½ cup buttermilk
(or sour milk)

1 teaspoon baking
soda

1 teaspoon ground
cinnamon

For sheet cake: Pour into a well greased or sprayed 13x9x2”
pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in a 350° preheated oven; rotate pan about half way
through baking. Cool partially and pour icing over top of cake; spread
icing with a spatula to cover surface.

For cupcakes: Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and then
ladle cake batter into tins, filling just about half full – remember that you
need to have enough space for the somewhat runny frosting to settle over the
cake. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in a 350° preheated oven. Use a toothpick to test
center – it should come out clean when cupcake is completely baked.

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About Us

IT'S ALL ABOUT FOOD!
Not only do Barry and I like to cook, we also enjoy sharing our knowledge with others. Consequently we teach cooking classes in several venues in Kansas and I even write about food.
On this site we hope to:
• share some of our favorite recipes along with related cooking ideas and tips
• post our current cooking class schedule (see the Cooking Classes tab at the top of this page)
• post some of my published food-related articles
• and share other experiences and thoughts about food and food related topics.